Pagan ritual at winter solstice
Around 200 members of the society gathered at Öskjuhlíð at winter solstice to perform a blót under the wakeful eye of the moon. Mbl.is/Golli
The Ásatrú society of Iceland celebrated winter solstice yesterday, December 21st, with a ceremony in Öskjuhlíð in Reykjavík. According to allsherjargodi Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson an Ásatrú temple will begin to rise in February or March in Öskjuhlíð, a hill in central Reykjavik covered in woodland.
Around 200 members of the society gathered at Öskjuhlíð at winter solstice to perform a blót under the wakeful eye of the moon. The blót ceremony began by a calling out to gods, goddesses and supernatural beings for strength, and a toast was proposed to their health with a drinking horn passed between members. A slice of lamb was eaten at the ceremony.
The Icelandic Ásatrú follows the belief systems of the Old Norse religion, or germanic neopaganism. The Ásatrú society was founded in Iceland in 1972 by farmer Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and initially had 12 members.
